Travel Tuesday: Kylee Neiderhauser is the latest #WanderableGypset, bohemian tastemaker in this exclusive interview series
What is a Gypset?:
A gypset is a gypsy-jetsetter, a free spirit who is young and heart and leads an unconventional career and life, traveling the globe and wandering through life at her own pace, in her own style. For more detail, check out this post, and this one AND this one- and of course stay tuned here to peek into the lives of Wanderable’s favorite people to follow.
Who is Kylee (and her fellow Wanderer/husband, Steve)
Kylee and Steve are literally professional travelers. After growing up in sunny Palm Springs, California and studying at University of San Diego, Kylee found herself getting married to the love of her life and moving across the world to Germany for Steve’s job. Now loving her life as a “Hausfrau,” the two of them are all about collecting moments (not things!) as they jet set their way across Europe, Asia, and beyond. Together, they have been to over 30 countries on 4 continents in 6 years (and have some really fun facts for how to fly first class, every time). We picked her brain on what its like being an American living abroad, the best thing she’s recently eaten, and whats on her (growing) bucket list.
Easther Island
Walk me through an average day in your un-average life.
I’m more of a morning person than a night owl, and morning is a great time of day to connect with friends and family back in California. By mid-morning I’m on the U-bahn (subway) and heading to my German language class. My classmates are from all over, and getting to know all of them has been just as enriching as the class itself. Then I usually head to the market and pick up some daily groceries, and the rest of the afternoon I spend catching up on “hausfrau” duties and homework. On nice days, I like to go out and “get lost”. Munich is an incredible city to explore. Evenings mean leisurely dinners with my husband and catching up on each other’s day.
How did you come to lead such a life? Did you always want to be a traveler, or did you just fall into it?
I was lucky to be able to vacation abroad with my family starting at a young age, so I have always enjoyed traveling. When I first started dating my husband, his job took him frequently to Asia and Europe. I joined as often as my work schedule would permit, but the more places we visited, the longer our “bucket list” grew!
Paris: Obviously
What is the difference between somewhere you’d want to live & somewhere you’d want to visit?
I think the difference comes down to whether or not the place feels like “home.” I knew we had picked the right place when, at the end of a vacation this year, I said “I’m ready to be home” (and we both knew that home was our cozy German apartment). That was definitely a moment.
What are you feeling/loving/reading right now?
Feeling: Chilly! The leaves have fallen and winter has arrived!
Loving : Evening visits to one of Munich’s outdoor Markets and warming up with a glass of Glühwein
Reading: Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
What was the best thing you recently ate?
We recently spent some time in Vietnam and couldn’t get enough of the street food! Ten days of Banh mi, Pho coun, Bun cha, Xoi xeo, Banh coun, Ca phe trung and countless bowls of Pho bo. Take me back!
What pays the bills?
My husband has been the bread-winner of the family since our move. He works for an American company whose Munich office develops technology to charge electric vehicles. It’s very exciting to see something that he’s worked so hard on starting to come to fruition.
What do you miss about “home?” (Where you’re from.)
Unsurprisingly, not having family and friends with us has been the hardest part. Thank goodness for FaceTime. We’ve also been fortunate to have 20 loving visitors in the past year!
If you could bring anything/anyone from home, what/who would that be?
My family
Televised football (American football, not “soccer”)
San Diego sunsets
In-N-Out…definitely In-N-Out.
Advice for aspiring Gypsets? Go.
If you’re set on seeing the world, but your travel budget is limited…LOYALTY POINTS! We have planned vacations where our entire international airline fares were covered using points earned. Travel blogs like FlyerTalk can be a great resource. Even small things like sticking to one airline or hotel chain can help out over time.
What location is on your bucket list, and why?
We are really excited to be visiting southern Spain and Morocco in a few weeks! Outside of Europe, Australia and New Zealand are high on our list along with South Africa. We also still have plenty to explore in Germany.
Steve getting ready for Oktoberfest
What are your go-to travel essentials?
Lo&Sons O.G. bag
Kindle
Downy Wrinkle Release
Digital camera
Last, but not least, my hubby!
What has recently taken your breath away?
Recently we did a day-long hike in the Swiss Alps near Lauterbrunnen. The contrast between the lush green valleys and snow-capped mountains is unbelievably beautiful.
What was the last thing you bought abroad?
A Vietnamese lacquer painting…we walked through a small studio where they were being made, and it was really interesting to watch the artist intricately layer the paint, egg shell and mother of pearl.
What is the best part about traveling with the one you love?
We love looking back on things like that leisurely picnic with a bottle of wine in that cute little park we found in Paris, or that time we wound up lost on a dirt road in a tiny, tin can they called an Italian car!
Thailand- O.M.G
What have you learned about each other?
We’ve both found that we enjoy learning about the food culture in the different places we visit, so we try to incorporate that into our travels by taking a local cooking class or exploring markets. I’ve learned that he is better than any map I could bring along with me.
If you guys were to go on a Wanderable experience, witch one would it be?
We think the idea of Wanderable is really cool– and it’s exactly who we are as a couple. After we got married, we moved pretty quickly to Germany and have been traveling the world together ever since (we didn’t go on a traditional honeymoon, you could say). I think that if we were to pick just one, it would be something in Santorini, Greece, like a sunset jeep tour or exploring their wine caves.
#WanderOn
Want more? Follow us on Twitter and Insta and like us on Facebook!
All photos courtesy of Kylee and Steve
